Eventually
by HeyPantat
Summary: Oneshot; The slightest bit of hope can make anything grow. She taught him that, but she just forgot.


Hey! Well, I got bored. :D

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: H-E-Y-P-A-N-T-A-T, yeah, that definitely doesn't spell Mike or Bryan.

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"Ready?"

"Aang, hurry up already! I can't wait anymore!" Aang had his strong and carefree smile plastered onto his face. He was standing behind Katara, and his hands were covering her eyes. Katara was so curious to know where Aang had taken her to. Her hands were on his, trying to pull them down so she could see where they were. However, Aang was stronger than her, even though his grip on her eyes was soft. Katara sighed and stopped pulling. She had lost this fight. "Fine," she muttered, but smirked when she heard Aang chuckle.

It was only a day ago that the war ended. Both Aang and Katara were at Ba Sing Se, taking a walk around the city that was being rebuilt. They walked together, hand in hand, blindly flirting with each other, and sharing a kiss or two when one of them said something incredibly sweet.

They walked by houses, smiling at each family that was reunited, all together and happy. Katara lost count of how many happy souls there were in the city, but she swore that she had never been in such a wonderful atmosphere. "Avatar Aang!" one girl had cried out when she spotted Aang and Katara in the crowd.

The little girl ran up to the two startled lovers. She had a smile that spread from ear to ear on her face as she pulled her hand out from her back and handed Katara a flower. Katara smiled as she took the flower from the smiling girl. "Thank you, sweetheart," Katara had said.

The girl smiled cheekily at them before turning away and running towards a woman who was on her knees, with arms open. They embraced before the woman smiled at Katara and Aang, and then took off. "That was so sweet of her," Katara exclaimed, staring at the flower that the girl had given her. The two of them had begun walking again, turning around a corner. It was dark. The sun had set hours ago. Aang smirked and brought his hand up to touch Katara's shoulder, but stopped when he heard a sob.

They both froze.

"Hello?" Katara asked. A small figure was visible by the corner. It sobbed again. Aang squinted his eyes to make out the figure. "It's a kid," he whispered to Katara a second later.

Katara looked at Aang with worried eyes as the two approached the child. "Hey there, little buddy," Aang said softly, approaching the boy. He was so pale that he seemed to shine in the darkness, Aang noticed. The boy sobbed again. Aang held his hand out, hoping the boy would trust him. "Come on, sweetie," Katara whispered. The boy looked at Katara, his large brown eyes visible as they were closer. His gaze shifted back to Aang's hand.

Reaching out, Aang saw tiny a tiny hand drop gently onto his larger ones. it took Aang only a second to react, the smile from both his and Katara's face never fading as they pulled they boy out of the darkness. He looked about five years old, Aang assumed. His jet black hair was messy, and his brown eyes were filled with pain and confusion. He looked like a younger version of Jet. The boy allowed himself to be pulled towards Aang. Katara bend down and placed an arm around the boy, hugging him lightly. Katara seemed to feel the emptiness inside the boy. He sobbed again, as his head fell on Katara's shoulder, and his grip on Aang's hand tightened. Aang embraced the two, and they fell silent, listening to the rhythm the cool night air was playing.

"Why are you alone, buddy?" Aang asked after a while.

The boy had stopped sobbing, but he was hiccupping as he told them, "Mommy… burn. Yesterday. Fire… mommy burnt."

Katara's eyes widened. Aang looked down sadly. It must have been the Fire Nation, obviously. They had taken a life, and scarred another. Aang didn't know what to say. He would have said that it would be okay, but he wasn't going to lie to a kid. Katara wouldn't too. She had felt his pain, when her mother was taken in a fire nation raid. She felt helpless, but she didn't handle it alone. She had Sokka, Hakoda, and Gran Gran.

This boy, he had nothing.

Katara felt tears welling up in her eyes as the pain over the loss of her mother washed over her again. Looking at the boy again, she knew exactly what he needed. He needed a family. As if on cue, Ying, Tahn, and Hope approached them. The smiles on their face faded when they caught sight of the crying boy. "Oh, poor boy!" Ying exclaimed, bending down in front of the boy. "What happened?" she questioned Katara, worry filling her eyes.

"He lost his mother to the Fire Nation," Katara murmured sadly.

"How awful," Tahn said, holding onto Hope tighter. Ying looked up to meet his eyes, and then they nodded. "Why don't you come with us, child," Ying whispered gently to the boy, his eyes filled with fear, but a glint of hope was clearly visible. "We were just about to get dinner. I'm sure you must be hungry," she smiled.

The boy tilted his head, still hiding behind Katara. Aang smiled to him, "Go on, buddy. You'll be fine with them."

He looked at Aang, as if asking for confirmation. He glanced at Katara, who smiled assuringly as well. Then the boy did the most beautiful thing Katara had seen him do since they met; he smiled. Wide. Ying held her hand out, and the boy took it without hesitation or fear. The moisture in Katara's eyes brimmed over. She rubbed her hand across her cheek, however, traitor tears were there, betraying her. She hadn't meant to cry, she wanted to stay strong for the boy. He turned, the smile still wide on his beautiful face. He embraced Aang and Katara one last time, before walking into the crowded street, holding Than's hand. Ying turned to Aang and Katara. They nodded and smiled, as though exchanging a silent 'thank you'.

Yes, Katara remembered that day clearly. Well, it was only yesterday. As Aang and Katara walked home that night, Katara expressed her feeling of doubt. What would happen to other families, families that had lost their loved ones? It's not every day that a family comes by. However, Aang simply smiled and assured her that it was going to be fine. And Aang never lies.

So the next morning, which was today, Aang had blindfolded Katara and they took off. She asked where he was taking her, but he merely told her to be patient.

So here they were, Aang covering Katara's eyes with his hand because he was afraid she would peek under the blindfold.

"Hurry, Aang!" Katara prompted, unable to wait.

Aang laughed. "Okay," he removed his hands and untied the blindfold. "Here we are."

Katara's mouth dropped open. This place was totally not what she had expected. They were standing in the middle of a forest, well, a half forest, since the growing trees were only about 8 feet high. But the leaves of the trees were fresh and green, their trunks thick and strong, standing tall and proud. A squirrel ran pass them, carrying nuts in its small mouth. The birds nearby chirped. Katara turned to Aang, who was smiling wide. "Where is this?"

"Don't you remember, Katara?" Aang asked. He bent down and picked up an acorn from the grass. "Hei-Bai's forest!" Katara exclaimed.

Aang laughed. "Exactly. The last time we were here, this forest was just ground, with trees that were burnt down. No life at all. But listen. There are birds, animals. All the creatures that once lived here. If you listen closely, you can hear the trees breathing and laughing together," Aang smiled to a teary Katara. "Katara, you gave me hope that this forest would grow back. It did. The forest, it's just like us, like the people of the Earth Kingdom, the people whose hearts were scarred. It took time for the forest to heal, and then grow. It will take time for us too. Eventually, everyone will grow together and laugh with their own families, because one day, a family will come to them. Just like this tree that has a whole family of squirrels living inside it. And just like me, when you and Sokka, Appa, Momo and Toph came walked into my life.

"It's hope, Katara. Hope can make the seed of anything grow. And peace can make the pain of anything fade. Trust me, Katara. One day, someday, everyone will have someone to love, because love swirls all around us," Aang said, blushing slightly.

A tear slid down Katara's cheek. She couldn't help it. Crying was just a way for her to express her feeling of affection. She took Aang's hands in hers, "You're right. And for the record, I had found someone to love." Katara smirked and winked at Aang, who was still blushing.

As though it was a habit, they embraced each other. Katara nuzzled her head onto Aang's shoulder as his gentle grip on her tightened. All was well.

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Yeah, I love relating. :D


End file.
